Max Verstappen is no doubt hungry for his fifth consecutive world title and the star will be aiming for a win in this week's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old is one of the sport's biggest names and he comes from a sporting pedigree with both his mother and father having competed in motorsport, and his extended family have also got petrol running their veins. Racing has also extended into his love life, with his current partner being the daughter of a Formula 1 legend.
© Getty ImagesHere's everything you need to know about Max's life away from the F1 paddock…
Father Jos Verstappen
Max is the son of racing drivers Jos Verstappen and Sophie Kumpen. Jos, 53, still competes in motorsport, racing as a privateer in the European Rallying Championship.
The star's motor racing career started when he was eight, driving go-karts and he became the Dutch junior champion in 1984. In 1991, he started racing cars and made his Formula 1 debut in the 1994 season, where he made history as the first Dutch driver to score a spot on the podium.
© Getty ImagesJos's Formula 1 career lasted between 1994 and 2001, and a year later, he started managing and coaching his son's own racing career.
The star has been married three times, marrying Max's mother, Sophie Kumpen, in 1996 before their divorce in 2008. He walked down the aisle with Kelly van der Waal in 2014, but they split in 2017. He's currently married to Sandy Sijtsma, with the pair celebrating their nuptials in 2018.
© Getty ImagesJos has faced numerous allegations against him and was convicted of assault alongside his father, Frans, in 1998 after an incident left a man with a fractured skull. His ex-wife, Sophie, also accused him of domestic abuse, and while he was cleared of any physical abuse, he was convicted of violating a restraining order and sending abusive messages.
He's also been known for his 'tough love' approach in parenting and coaching Max. In an interview for the Anatomy of a Champion documentary, Max reflected on the time he lost out on a karting world championship in his youth, with a mistake costing him the title.
© Getty Images"My dad was just so upset with me, doing that stupid move," he explained. "I basically threw everything away. Of course, I was very sad and upset with myself for making that mistake."
Max continued: "I then started to try to talk to him in the van, travelling home for 17 hours. He didn't want to talk to me. He was just so fed up with it. He's like, 'Get out'. He stopped at the fuel station and he's like, 'You get out'. And he drove off."
Mother Sophie Kumpen
Sophie is also a professional racer who competed in the Karting World Championships; in 1995, she won the Andrea Margutti Trophy, becoming the third woman in history to win a major karting championship.
She retired from racing in 1996 to work on raising her children and supporting Jos's continuing racing career. In 2013, Sophie returned to the sport, racing in the Formido Swift Cup, however, later in the year, she suffered a fractured vertebrae during a race, ending her career. The 49-year-old has since started work as a social worker.
© Getty ImagesDuring an interview with Dutch RTL, Sophie opened up about the worries that mothers have watching their sons partake in a high-octane sport. "I often wonder about [Lewis] Hamilton's mother [Carmen Lockhart]," she said.
"She's been living with stress for years, hasn't she? It doesn't go away with me, either. That's Max too, always just over it and taking a bit of risk. Every time he races, something happens."
Wider family
Racing clearly runs in Max's family, and at one point, his younger sister, Victoria, was also interested in the sport. Speaking to RaceFans in 2023, Max said of his sister's career: "I think my sister probably had the same amount of talent as I had when I was little, but she just didn't want it enough.
"She liked it but not enough to, like, fight for it, be fit, be ready. That's fine, as long as you realise that."
Nowadays, the blonde beauty is a social media influencer and a proud mother of three.
Elsewhere, Max's great-uncle, Paul Kumpen, is the founder of PK Carsport, which races in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and the Belcar Trophy. His cousin, once removed, is Anthony Kumpen, a racing driver for PK Carsport.
Girlfriend Kelly Piquet
Since 2021, Max has been in a relationship with Kelly Piquet, the daughter of three-time F1 world champion, Nelson Piquet.
While Kelly hasn't driven in the sport, the 36-year-old has been close to the world, having worked as a social media manager for Formula E since 2015.
© Getty ImagesThe couple announced their relationship in 2021 with a loved-up photo on the beach and their relationship is clearly going strong with Max even once probed about marriage rumours. He told Blick: "Marry? Me? Now you've publicly pressured me into saying a date. I don't know, time will tell. Right now, I'm very, very happy with Kelly."
The pair are due to become parents later in the year, with the couple confirming Kelly's pregnancy in December 2024. In a black-and-white photo of his hand over her stomach, Max said: "Mini Verstappen-Piquet on the way. We couldn't be happier with our little miracle."
